Generation of optimal fault tolerant locomotion of the hexapod robot over rough terrain using evolutionary programming

Extends the authors' previous (1996) results on optimal fault-tolerant locomotion of the hexapod walking robot over even terrain by generalizing the shape of the ground. A method of searching for the optimal or near-optimal fault-tolerant sequence of free gaits over rough terrain using evolutionary programming is proposed. Based on the sequence of gaits derived on the even terrain, the proposed algorithm searches for foothold positions that guarantee optimal locomotion and that maintain a non-negative fault stability margin. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated with computer simulations.